


A Promise Unbroken

by Panta



Category: Dangan Ronpa - All Media Types, New Dangan Ronpa V3: Everyone's New Semester of Killing
Genre: Alternate Universe - Everyone Lives/Nobody Dies, Angst, Angst and Hurt/Comfort, Falling In Love, First Kiss, Gay, Hospitals, Hurt/Comfort, Implied/Referenced Character Death, Implied/Referenced Suicide, M/M, Nightmares, Panic Attacks
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-21
Updated: 2019-05-21
Packaged: 2020-03-08 21:37:55
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18903139
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Panta/pseuds/Panta
Summary: Momota-chan...whatever happens next, please...don’t defend my actions. Promise me you won’t, not without me there.Ouma, I…Don’t waste your breath arguing for someone...like me. I know you believe in me, my beloved...Kai-chan, and isn’t that enough?





	A Promise Unbroken

**Author's Note:**

> Prompt: Tearful postgame argument about chapter 5, vr au, Oumota angst

Three days after waking up from the simulation, Kaito is permitted access to the common rooms to see his fellow contestants. It’s been hard, trying to accept that none of it was real, he isn’t actually dead, the tightness in his throat and aching in his lungs are just phantoms pains and should go away soon—but the proof is right there in front of him.

Kaede and Ryoma and Gonta and everyone else who died are all there, talking and laughing (and occasionally arguing, but that happens), and Kaito has to force down tears that begin to form at the sight. The only person he doesn’t see is Kokichi; when he asks about the supreme leader, both Miu and Gonta visibly tense, so Kaede pulls him aside and quietly explains how the murder victims tend to take longer to wake up than their killers and the amount of time it takes depends on the circumstances of the participant’s death. As such, Ryoma—having been reduced to bones—didn’t wake up until around the time Tenko did.

She informs him that they are aware of Kokichi’s death but considering none of Chapter Five has aired yet, the only detail they’ve been given is that Team Danganronpa has never dealt with a situation like this before.

Several of the others question him on the circumstances of Kokichi’s death (and sometimes even his own), but he remains resolutely silent. The supreme leader made Kaito promise to keep up his stupid evil facade until the bitter fucking end, and a hero never goes back on his word. They’ll just have to wait until someone else wakes up.

* * *

Five days after waking up, Kaito is tearfully reunited with his sidekicks. He claps Shuichi on the shoulder and avoids personal conversation with Maki, congratulating them and Himiko on their triumphant victory.

No one expects Kiibo or Tsumugi to show up, not after finding out the roles they played, but Kaito’s blood is almost boiling by the time someone  _ finally _ asks about Kokichi.

“The gremlin,” Maki says through clenched teeth, “where is he?” Nobody answers her at first, so Kaito speaks up.

“Asleep.” He replies curtly, and from the scowl on Maki’s face and the pensivity on Shuichi’s, he can tell it’s not enough. “Hasn’t woken up from the sim yet. He might not...ever.”

“Good riddance,” Maki says coldly, and Kaito just barely bites back a retort. He feels Kaede place a gentle hand on his forearm.

“Harukawa-san, please don’t say that about Ouma-kun. We’re all friends here.”

Maki’s eyes snap over to glare at the pianist. “‘Friends’? You weren’t there, Akamatsu. He killed Iruma and Gonta. He killed  _ Kaito.” _

There’s a ‘you’re the one who shot me’ on the tip of Kaito’s tongue, ready to strike, when Iruma cuts in.

“Where do you get off acting like I didn’t try to kill him first,  _ ass- _ assin? He was defending himself, and technically,” she pats Gonta’s arm, “big-dick here is the one who killed me!”

Maki rolls her eyes, “if he really felt like he was in danger, he should’ve told someone.”

There is a brief silence before, of all people, Korekiyo clears his throat. “Pardon my intrusion, but, Harukawa-san, are you implying that you would have believed him, had he done so? That any of us would have?”

Nobody has a response to that, so Rantaro asks a different question. “What happened with Ouma-kun, anyway? I’ve gathered that he was imperative to the fifth trial, but...how? What did he do? Was he the culprit or the victim?”

The survivors all turn to Kaito, clearly having expected him to recount his experiences. He closes his eyes and shakes his head.

_ Momota-chan...whatever happens next, please...don’t defend my actions. Promise me you won’t, not without me there. _

_ Ouma, I… _

_ Don’t waste your breath arguing for someone...like me. I know you believe in me, my beloved...Kai-chan, and isn’t that enough? _

With tears in his eyes, Kaito listens to his sidekicks—and Himiko—tell the story of what TDR calls ‘Chapter Five’. He listens to them make Kaito out to be some sort of hero, and Kokichi a terrible villain he had to vanquish. He listens to them glorify Maki’s rash attempt at murder and Shuichi’s wit in figuring out Kokichi’s scheme. He listens to them gloss over Kokichi’s plans to end the game, pretending he didn’t give his life to save selfish people like them who will  _ never _ recognize all that he sacrificed. He listens…

_ You have my word, Kokichi. _

...and says nothing.

_ I promise. _

* * *

Two weeks after Kaito woke up, Kokichi regains consciousness. Multiple doctors and at least half a dozen nurses crowd into the supreme leader’s room to examine him, and Kaito barely manages to hear the word “paralysis” before he is ushered away.

Ryoma tells him how the medical team has kept constant watch over them all, ready to pull them from the simulation just before their deaths would occur. To prevent complications due to the brain’s perception of its own death, he says. Shock, nerve damage, paralysis, maybe even permanently.

Kaito pales at the memory of Kokichi holding something bright pink and round. When he mentions how TDR dulled their senses of pain in the moments leading up to their deaths, Kaito remembers poison and blood and the slow descent of the hydraulic press. Ryoma pats his back while he vomits.

* * *

A month after waking up, in the dead of night, Kaito shoots up in bed, eyes wide open. Bloodcurdling screams reverberate through the wall between his room and Kokichi’s. He knows them all too well.

From the sound of the commotion, there are several members of the medical team in Kokichi’s room, trying desperately to get the leader to relax. “I should be  _ dead!” _ He cries, pleading with the doctors who now speak of restraints and sedation. _ “Just let me  _ **_die!”_ **

Even after Kokichi is forced into unconsciousness, Kaito is unable to sleep. Closing his eyes brings back images of the press, the crime scene, the  _ blood _ , so he dares not shut them for more than a blink.

* * *

Two months after waking up, Kaito sees the boy whose life he stole.

“I just don’t get why we have to wait for him before we can leave.” Maki growls angrily, pacing the floor. It’s obvious to anyone with eyes that she’s sick of being cooped up, and most of the others clearly feel the same. “It’s not like we’ll benefit from having him around. He’s probably doing this on purpose, being over dramatic and exaggerating his condition so he doesn’t have to face reality. He doesn’t want to acknowledge all the people he’s hur—“

The door to the common room swings open, thirteen pairs of eyes turning to see who is entering. Kaito blinks, convinced he must be hallucinating.

“If it were up to me,” Kokichi whispers, voice raspy and harsh. “You’d’ve b-been released weeks ag-go.” His frail body, barely held up by trembling legs, looks even thinner than Kaito remembers. There’s a girl with pigtails on his left and a boy with a red afro on his right, and they both look extremely concerned for the former leader.

“You really shouldn’t be walking around, Kichi-kun…” the girl bites her lip worriedly, “the doctor said—“

“The doctor also said that the paralysis was permanent and I’d never walk again, yet here we are.”

“I know, but—“

“Umi-chan,” Kokichi’s eyes linger with pain, “I’ll be okay. Please stop worrying.” Having calmed her, he finally looks to the other contestants, eventually locking eyes with Kaito. “...Momota-chan.”

Kaito is frozen is place by the sheer  _ exhaustion _ that fills those violet pools. Kokichi’s cheeks are sunken in, his hair falling past his shoulders now, and just standing up is clearly causing him a great deal of difficulty. Despite it all, he manages to hobble over to Kaito, stumbling slightly but never losing his footing.

So the astronaut pulls him into a hug, lifting him off his feet and holding him like he’ll never let go. “You...bastard.” He pushes back a sob, “I’ve been worried sick.”

“I know,” Kokich replies quietly. “I’m sorry. I’ve been trying so hard to get better, so you all could leave, but the doctors say I might never recover.”

“But why?” Kaito begs, holding Kokichi by the shoulders and ignoring the whispers of the others, zeroing in on him and only him. “You don’t deserve to hurt so much.”

“You know why, Momota-chan.” And it’s true; he does, but he needs to hear it out loud from the boy himself. “The electrobomb canceled all recording devices. They had no way of knowing what was going on, so they couldn’t dull the pain or pull me out before my death. Everything went according to plan, on my end…” he smiles ruefully.

“It’s a miracle he even woke up from the simulation,” the man with the afro speaks up. “By all accounts, his brain truly thought he was dead. Even after waking up, the damage to his nervous system was extensive.” Kaito doesn’t miss the way Kokichi flinches and lowers his gaze to the floor. “He’s spent the last two months either completely paralyzed or in agonizing pain.”

“And you all have the audacity to complain about having to wait!” The pigtailed girl shrieks suddenly, causing Kokichi to slump against Kaito’s chest. The astronaut instinctively begins to rub circles on his back. “He’s made a year’s worth of recovery progress in two months! Not to mention he did more to try and end the Killing Game than the rest of you combined—you should all be ashamed!”

“And what is it that he did, exactly?” Maki whirls on the girl, eyes ablaze with anger. “Kept secrets? Told lies? Tormented all of us?  _ Killed three people? Roped Kaito into a  _ **_suicide plan that amounted to nothing?!”_ **

Kokichi gasps inaudibly, clutching Kaito’s shirt in his too-small fists. The astronaut looks down to see Kokichi’s eyes blown wide, his breath coming out in short, quick pants. What worries him most, however, is the terrifying grin slowly creeping up his cheeks. “Ouma…?” He mumbles, hearing a quiet ‘nishishi’ in response.

“You take that  _ back!” _ ‘Umi-chan’ shrieks, outraged. “He—!” She is stopped by a hand coming to rest on her shoulder.

“He asked us not to argue with them.” The taller boy chastises, though he too seems beside himself. “You know how it is; not many people can understand Boss’s actions. It’s pointless to try.” He locks eyes with Kaito, and they exchange a curt nod.

A tense silence settles in the air, nobody sure of how to handle the situation, until a chuckle tears it’s way out of Kokichi’s throat. Then another, and another, and everyone’s heads turn to the small boy as he collapses to his knees, laughter spilling from his lips. He cackles up at Kaito, glistening eyes full of nothing but pain.

“Momota!” The redhead shouts, gaining the astronaut’s attention. He looks panicked. “Keep his hands away from his neck!”

For just a moment, Kaito’s only response is confusion, but then he sees bruises, bruises that seem far too fresh to be remnants of the Game, and he understands. His knees hit hard linoleum and his hands dart forward, grabbing onto Kokichi’s wrists just as the boy begins to raise them.

“Kokichi, don’t.” He whispers, and dull violet eyes squeeze shut, their owner struggling to pull away.

“Let go,” he hisses, voice strained. “Let me go, Kai-chan! Let me  _ die!” _

Kaito shakes his head, adjusting his hands to hold the smaller boy’s, intertwining their fingers. “No. I won’t let that happen, not again.”

_ “Please!” _ Kokichi cries, bringing Kaito back to those long nights from weeks ago. “Please, please, please...I can’t take this anymore!” His entire body is trembling with sobs now, face dripping with snot and tears. “I want to die, I want to die, I want to die I want to die I—“ he cuts himself off with a choked wheeze, hyperventilating.

Still on guard in case he makes an attempt at his own life, Kaito slowly releases Kokichi’s hands, ever so gently pulling the boy to rest in his lap. The two who accompanied him here have made their way over by now, kneeling down nearby as Kaito holds Kokichi’s head against his chest. He deliberately takes slow, even breaths.

“Breathe, Kokichi. In and out.”

“I-I can’t—I can’t—“

“Try. It’s okay if it’s hard, but I need you to try.” Kokichi goes silent then, breath shaking almost as much as his body is. Still, it’s progress, so Kaito praises him. “Good job,” he says softly, “you’re doing so good. I’m so proud of you.”

Kaito hears footsteps to his left and turns to see Miu leaning down, one trembling hand holding out a box of tissues. He thanks her quietly and takes it, delicately wiping at the fluids on the former leader’s face. Through his lessening tears, Kokichi makes a disgusted face up at him, and Kaito can’t hold back a chuckle. After discarding the used tissues, he rests a hand on the smaller boy’s cheek, watching him nuzzle into the contact. It’s almost...cute.

“Kai-chan…” comes the soft voice, barely above a whisper. “Did you...keep your promise?”

Kaito bows his head. “I did.” He holds Kokichi closer, desperate. “It was so  _ hard, _ listening to them talk about you like you’re some kind of monster.”

“They’re not wrong, you know.”

“Yes they are!” Kaito snaps, leaning down to look Kokichi in the eye. “You’re not a monster; you’re human! You gave everything you had to save us, even when we treated you like  _ dirt _ ; you put yourself in a place of isolation to protect us from the danger of being involved in your plans; you gave up  _ who you  _ **_are_ ** for the sake of people who didn’t know they needed you! You are braver, more selfless, and more  _ human _ than anyone I’ve ever met! You…” The astronaut presses their foreheads together, noses almost touching.

“You embody what it means to be a leader, Kokichi.”

For several long moments, all that registers to Kaito is his own heavy breathing and the shocked part of Kokichi’s soft lips, and just when he thinks he may have taken it too far…

Those lips press hesitantly against his own, and the fire blazing in his chest goes out. Their kiss is slow and sweet and Kaito thinks he might hear Miu and Kaede whooping in the background but it doesn’t matter because Kokichi is  _ here, _ he’s real and he’s alive and he’s the only thing Kaito cares about right now.

Then Kokichi mumbles “Kaito” against his lips—his name, his real  _ name, _ not Momota-chan or Kai-chan but his  _ name _ —and Kaito, for the first time since he died, feels at peace.


End file.
